Hearing their history: Montclairites to be honored

Four members of the YMCA of Montclair, three of them Montclair residents, will be honored at an upcoming reception in celebration of Black History Month. The history of the Washington Street YMCA will also be honored with a plaque.

There will be a public reception on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Geyer Family Branch of the YMCA of Montclair, 159 Glenridge Ave.

Dawn McFadden, chief operating officer of the YMCA of Montclair and former branch director of the Washington Street Y, noted in an email the "tremendous history" of that branch in the community.

"During my work at the Y, I have met many people whose lives were greatly impacted by the work at the Washington Street Y during its early years. Built in the 1920s, the facility and leaders served the African American community with programs and activities that were the source for building the spiritual, mental and physical development of the youth and young people in the community," McFadden said.

CELEBRATING LIVES

Montclairites Ernestine Galloway, Adam Wade and Lincoln Turner, and Linda Caldwell Epps of Newark, will all be honored.

Galloway holds a doctorate in education, and her work concentrates on religious education. A scholarly background in anthropology equipped her to deal with issues of diversity in her professional work, Galloway said.

Among many positions, she was employed by the American Baptist Churches in Valley Forge, Pa., where she worked with people of diverse backgrounds on "church development, church renewal and facility planning."

"I raised the issue of diversity and helped American Baptists to focus on diversity," Galloway said.

She has been attending the YMCA of Montclair for more than 15 years.

Adam Wade is a musician and performer, though he has a background in science. Wade counts among his achievements his work on the polio research team of Dr. Jonas Salk at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Salk discovered and developed the first successful inactive polio vaccine. Wade joined the team after the discovery was made, and "tried to find a blood cell that was strong enough to withdraw the infections that were set upon it," he said.

Salk championed a universally-accessible polio vaccine, and yet encountered political and other barriers to that goal, which stuck with Wade, he said.

Wade eventually left for New York City with a friend to pitch songs to record producers and publishers. He began to get more involved in music, launching a long career.

"It was more than good. It was delicious," Wade said.

He is now directing, with creative input from his wife Jeree Wade, an off-Broadway production called "On Kentucky Avenue," about the once-bustling music scene in Atlantic City.

Lincoln Turner, too, began his career in the sciences, working in biochemical research laboratories in the research division of the U.S. Army. After realizing he "didn't like science," Turner obtained training and went into marketing, then politics - he served as Essex County Freeholder - and real estate, which he called his "first love."

Turner has been on the board of the YMCA of Montclair, along with perhaps one dozen other local boards and organizations, he said.

Said Turner of the honor: "It's very special," noting that has been a YMCA of Montclair member for more than 30 years, and brought his children through its programs. Last year, McFadden even unearthed a picture of his young son at the Y.